Literacy Experts Give Parents 7 Tips To Improve Kids’ Reading Skills

A new report based on 2024 test scores may be a reality check for parents. It found that kids’ reading skills have hit lows. For instance, it reported that 40% of fourth graders’ reading skills are “below-basic.”

These disheartening statistics make it clear that students need more support in developing their literacy skills, but where should parents start?

Why Children Need More Help Than Ever Learning to Read

Recently, the NWEA, an organization that conducts research on education for kindergarten through high school, released helpful tips for parents and other caregivers to help boost kids’ reading skills. Over the summer these tips are especially useful to help kids avoid the dreaded summer slide, a phenomenon that occurs when kids lose all the skills they learned in school over the summer, subsequently falling behind when the new school year starts. 

The NWEA also expressed concern that students are still feeling the educational disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

If you’re a parent who suspects their child might be lagging behind in reading, or just want to create an atmosphere at home where reading is an encouraged and beloved pastime, these tips will get your student on the right track.

Expert-backed Tips for Improving Childhood Literacy

Here’s what experts from the NWEA recommend trying out with your kids to help boost their reading skills.

Create reading rewards

These rewards can come after kids finish a certain number of reading-related tasks, like reading to a parent or sibling, finishing a whole book, or reading at the park.

Jeannie Votykpa, an NWEA learning scientist, says that the point is to “create excitement and fun around the reading process.” However, she adds that the “reward” should not be a toy—if possible, make it reading-related, like a new bookmark or free time at the library. 

Read together as a family

Francie Alexander, who studies efficacy at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, suggests that the idea of reading alone can “feel lonely and intimidating” to kids. That’s where parents can step in to help reading feel accessible, by carving out time not only to read to your kids, but have them read to you, as well. And there are proven benefits to working on your reading skills as a family: “Reading aloud together improves vocabulary development and comprehension,” says Alexander.  

Reading before bed

One way to help your child feel like reading is worthwhile is to make a big deal out of reading before bedtime. Make reading a “non-negotiable” addition to your bedtime routine, just as important as putting on pajamas and brushing your teeth. Reading before bed “reinforces a culture of literacy” in your home. 

Create book clubs

You can also reframe family reading time as a book club, or you can form a book club with other young people in your family. For instance, if you have multiple children, the children can get together to form their own book club; the same can be done with nearby cousins or other family members (the kids would probably all need to be close in age in order to pick an appropriate book). Then you can meet to discuss the book in person or virtually. 

Make reading part of what they love

For children who might not consider themselves readers, the NWEA suggests finding ways to integrate what they do love, whether it’s visual art, sports, or music, and finding ways to integrate those skills.  

Keep challenges in mind

The NWEA also reminds parents that even if your student is excelling in certain subjects at school, or enrolled in AP classes for language or math, they still might need a little extra help mastering reading and writing.

Keep in mind any challenges that neurodivergent kids might face, like ADHD or dyslexia, that will require not just extra support at home, but perhaps also intervention from the educators at your child’s school. 

Reinforce learned skills at home

Even if your older child seems to have mastered reading, parents should still reinforce certain skills at home. Brainstorming the elements of a story, like conflict, antagonist, and climax, can help them gain a deeper understanding of the story. According to NWEA, reading aloud (even if they can read to themselves already) can also improve reading comprehension. 

These tips can not only help prevent the summer slide but also help your kid catch up on skills they might have missed. But whatever you need to help support your child’s reading and writing skills, taking an active role and interest in their education will help encourage a love of reading in your child, and give them the skills they need to excel both academically and in their independent adult lives.